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He was already fast asleep.
***
Rafe slowly woke from the most refreshing sleep he’d had in ages. The rain had stopped at some point during the night, and the faint blue light of dawn was slowly filling the cottage. His arms were tangled in Sylvia, while her backside was nestled perfectly against his front, as if they had been forged in the same flame. Rafe nuzzled her hair and inhaled. He had never slept beside a woman all night before, and now he wouldn’t be able to smell lavender again without thinking of her. His heart twinged, remembering their conversation from last night and his promise to leave her alone. He hugged her more tightly against him, but he could not change things. Not yet, in any case. He wouldn’t ask her for more than he was willing to give himself.
Sylvia stirred. “Rafe, you’re squeezing me.”
“Oh, sorry.” He forced his arms to loosen.
She slowly sat up, taking in the dawn. For once Rafe wished he had Henry’s extraordinary memory. Then he could remember just how the light fell on her face, illuminating the curve of her lips, the gentle slope of her nose, and her rounded cheeks with their faint dusting of freckles. He really could stare at her forever.
She looked at him over her shoulder. “Did you hear me?” Rafe’s dazed expression answered for him. “It’s time to leave.”
They both dressed in silence, lost in their own thoughts. Rafe had just finished buttoning his coat when Sylvia produced the horrendous wig, which had somehow found its way under the bed and was now coated in dust. Rafe was sorely tempted to leave the blasted thing behind, but there could be no evidence that he had been here.
“I’ve no idea where my valet scrounged this up, but I suppose he’ll have my hide if I don’t give it back.”
She smiled weakly, but there was no hiding the sadness in her eyes. Rafe longed to reach for her, to demand she tell him what had driven her into the forest last night, but with the return of their clothes came the return of the wall between them. They each had their secrets to keep, and Rafe would respect that for now, but he also privately vowed that no harm would come to her as long as she was at Castle Blackwood.
They tidied the cottage as best they could and made their way out into the cool dawn. Rafe guessed it had once been used by a gamekeeper. As far as he knew, no one currently held the position, which explained why it stood empty. The trees were filled with chirping birds, and the smell of fresh rain enveloped them as they walked along the path back to the castle. An otherworldly mist blanketed the forest floor.
By this time the last remaining revelers would have been drunkenly carted off home in their carriages or carried to their beds. If anyone asked after his whereabouts, Rafe planned to say he had felt ill and retired early, though he guessed most of his fellow guests’ memories of the last few hours were rather hazy.
He cut a glance to Sylvia, dressed once again in her disguise, and smiled. She must have felt his gaze on her, for she turned toward him and raised an eyebrow.
“I was just marveling at your costume. You make a fine lad.”
She let out a snort. “Whatever you say, guv.”
Rafe laughed at her cockney accent. “There. Now no one will suspect a thing.”
Her smile faded, and she looked ahead. The castle was visible through the trees. “Remember what we discussed,” she said. “You’re to ignore me from now on.”
Rafe stared at her profile. She had tucked her beautiful hair into the cap, but a few strands had fallen loose. What he would give to twirl one around his finger now.
“I don’t think I will ever be able to ignore you completely, Sylvia. But I will keep my distance. I promise you that.”
She said nothing to this, just continued to walk ahead, as if she hadn’t even heard the words. When they reached the tree line near the stables, Rafe came to a halt. Sylvia looked back at him. “Go,” he said. “We don’t want to risk the chance of being seen together.” Sylvia stood there for another moment, a pained look on her face. Finally, Rafe could take no more. He glanced away. “Hurry.”
When he turned back, she was gone.
***
“Are we both going to pretend that you were in your room all night?”
Sylvia whirled around in her chair to find Georgiana peering over her shoulder.
“Goodness, youscaredme.”
Georgiana stepped back. “Sorry. I forget how wrapped up you get in your work.”
Sylvia sat back and pinched the bridge of her nose. After a short nap in her room, she had come to the library to do work. Anything to keep her from reliving every detail from last night. Instead, she had been staring at her pages of notes for hours, with little to show for it.
“Is your aunt still abed?”
“Yes. It was a late night for her. And don’t try to change the subject. I noticed Mr. Davies disappeared before midnight.” Georgiana raised an eyebrow. “He’s claiming it was a headache,” she said, drawing out the last word in a suggestive lilt.
“Don’t.” The word came out more sharply than Sylvia intended, but she couldn’t pretend that this was some tawdry country house escapade. Last night meant something precious. To them both. She was sure of it. Sylvia turned to face Georgiana, but her friend’s worried look only irritated her further.
